On this play, eighth-grade guard Sophie Eliasen (31) looks for an open Viking to pass to. Eliasen, a tough defender, is one of the quickest Viking varsity players and is seeing more and more playing time as the season unfolds.
For the second time in a little over a week the Cook County Vikings squared off against the Two Harbors Agates and for the second time in a row the Viking girls came up a little short, losing 48-42 in a game played December 19 in Two Harbors.
This game was a little different from the first. The Vikings came out strong and had a lead for much of the game, but seemed to run out of steam the last 10 minutes of play. It was during that stretch that the 2A school opened up some daylight and the Vikings couldn’t respond.
Once again the Vikings were woeful from the free throw line, making 2 of 10 free throws, and even worse from beyond the arc as they missed all of their 3-point shot attempts.
Brianna McGrath (16 points) and Briana Stuberud (14 points) led Two Harbors.
Meanwhile Viking sophomore center Emily Jacobsen continues to shine. She scored most of her game-high 19 points on put backs from offensive rebounds. Junior forward Lily Gruber-Schulz continues to suffer from a sprained ankle, but she nevertheless still scored 9 points. Sarah Toftey 4, Jamie Sjogren 4, Zoey Anderson 4, and Shauna Blake with 2 points ended the Vikings’ scoring.
Defensively the Vikings were able to hold off the taller Agate players for most of the contest. If they can figure out a way to keep their early energy throughout games, they will beat most opponents they face.
The Vikings’ record is now 2-3, with two losses to Two Harbors and one loss to the highest-rated small school in the state, Mountain Iron-Buhl.
Next up for the Vikings is an away game against the Marshall Hilltoppers on December 26.
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